New Economy

After Decades in a Food Desert, These Neighbors Are Building a $2 Million Co-op—And They Own It
by Liz Pleasant
Nov 12, 2015
For nearly 20 years, the residents of this mostly African American Greensboro community had nowhere to shop for food. They tried to attract a big-box grocery store; when that didn’t work, they started their own.
What If We Owned the Internet Together? It’s Time to Bring the Co-op Revolution to the Web
by Nathan Schneider, Trebor Scholz
Nov 09, 2015
The flourishing of farmers markets and credit unions demonstrates a longing for business that serves the common good. Can it infiltrate the Amazon-dominated, Uberized Internet?
How Creative Finance Launched Worker-Owned Co-ops In Post-Sandy New York
by Araz Hachadourian
Oct 29, 2015
Half of small businesses don’t make it past the first five years, and owners lose everything trying to pay off the loans. The Working World lets co-ops stabilize before repayment even begins.
Video: How This Brooklyn Neighborhood is Putting Healthy Food in Business
by Liz Pleasant
Oct 23, 2015
A co-op training program in Brooklyn could serve as a model for other cities looking to combat the effects of gentrification for long-time residents.
Three Years Ago, These Chicago Workers Took Over a Window Factory. Today, They're Thriving
by Sarah van Gelder
Oct 09, 2015
When Republic Windows and Doors closed down without giving workers notice, the issue drew national attention. Since then, they’ve turned the factory into a worker-owned co-op—where they hold the power.
Dangerous History: What the Story of Black Economic Cooperation Means for Us Today
by Keane Bhatt
Oct 07, 2015
African Americans have been pioneering co-ops as an economic strategy since the days of slavery. Author Jessica Gordon Nembhard on how centuries-old models can guide our economy today.
NYC’s Credit Unions Give Mom-and-Pop Stores a Chance, Despite Gentrification
by Abigail Savitch-Lew
Oct 02, 2015
They're a lifeline to business owners. So why do these credit unions have trouble growing?
A Techy Management Fad Gives Workers More Power—Up to a Point
by Nathan Schneider
Sep 30, 2015
Holacracy aims to liberate workers from micromanagement by replacing bosses with code-like rules modeled on computer programming.
5 Steps to Turn Your Business Into a Worker-owned Co-op
by Cat Johnson
Sep 09, 2015
Learn how to turn any business into a worker-owned cooperative with this checklist.
These Neighbors Got Together to Buy Vacant Buildings. Now They’re Renting to Bakers and Brewers
by Olivia LaVecchia
Sep 04, 2015
Though the model is new and small, it holds outsize potential for the many neighborhoods whose downtowns are controlled by faraway landlords or retail chains.
What’s a Death Midwife? Inside the Alternative Death Care Movement
by Jennifer Luxton
Sep 03, 2015
From funeral cooperatives to green burials, there's a kinder, gentler, less expensive way to die.
After 20 Years Reporting on Solutions, I’m Going on a Journey to Find Where Hope Lies Now
by Sarah van Gelder
Aug 13, 2015
YES! co-founder Sarah van Gelder sets out on a road trip to find the edge of change.
This NYC Real Estate Co-Op Helps Small Businesses Stay Put
by Araz Hachadourian
Jul 31, 2015
A New York City co-op raises $1.2 million in pledges to fight gentrification and provide affordable rent for local business owners.
The Weekly Crunch: Tiny Houses in Vancouver and Why the South Is the New China
by YES! Staff
Jul 29, 2015
This week: Bee activists step up their game, Bernie Sanders lays out his views on all thing politicals, and fracking takes its toll on Oklahoma.
A North Carolina Textile Co-Op Gives Immigrant Workers a Stake in the Business
by Cecilia Garza
Jul 29, 2015
In a state that lost 88 percent of its textile industry jobs in just 10 years, small worker-owned cooperatives are islands of rights and resilience.